Behind the Scenes Tours at White Bay Power Station

Decommissioned in 1984, get behind the scenes at Sydney’s longest-serving power station at White Bay.

Experience a special Behind the Scenes tour at White Bay Power Station on Saturday 29 November, during the UNSW Built Environment Graduate Architecture Exhibition. These tours have been developed by MHNSW as part of Sydney Open Series in partnership with Placemaking NSW.

Discover the stories behind this extraordinary heritage-listed landmark, the only one of its kind to survive on Sydney Harbour. 

Built between 1912 and 1917 to cope with the expansion of Sydney’s electric tram and rail systems, White Bay Power Station fed the largest metropolitan tramway network in the Southern Hemisphere and provided power to the trains as well as to the suburban electricity grid. The building’s dominant harbourside position, dramatic vertical facade, castellated parapets and steam funnels mark the entrance to the Balmain waterfront, and are an enduring symbol of the area’s industrial origins and traditions

The tour will include the vast and cathedral-like Boiler House and Turbine Hall, as well as some hidden spaces not open to the public. In addition, you will be able to see remarkably intact equipment and machinery and learn about the last remaining example of a coal-fired harbourside industrial complex in NSW.

Accessibility

Please note that due to the heavy industrial history of the site and use of restricted areas, this tour is not accessible.  Enclosed shoes must be worn.

The event is a walking tour and includes stairs. Some areas of the White Bay Power Station also includes confined spaces. Participants, particularly new and expectant mothers, may wish to seek medical advice before entering the restricted areas of White Bay Power Station.

Hazards include; potential flaking lead paint, material containing asbestos in walls and equipment, biological hazards - traces of biological hazards remaining including bacteria from roden, bird and roach droppings; soil, corrosion, mould spores and stagnant water.